Love and Light
by ReyEleven011
Summary: For a video project, the shy and caring El Ives is paired up with the nerdy and funny Mike Wheeler, a person who she trusts from the start. Because of him, she could finally open up about her backstory about bullying. Language, violence, bullying.
1. Chapter 1: Partners

_A/N: Hey guys!_

 _Alright, alright, I know I should be updating my other stuff, but I can't help it! I needed to write this down after what happened with Millie on Instagram! It's basically inspired by it. I can't help it, I'm crazy like that. Just so you know, I'm not a Millie hater at all. I love her and she will continue to inspire me and I just... I love her and I want to meet her, hug her, and tell her that she's the best._

 _This little short story takes place in our time so that way it's easier to write. Because they didn't have cool technology in the 1980's! They had to get up to change the channel on a TV! They had to dial numbers on a telephone! I feel so bad for them, lol. Wait till they see what gets invented later on like an IPhone and a flat screen TV with remotes! AND HOVERBOARDS. AND SPINNERS! Yes, even the fidget spinners. I'm getting two! I think._

 _Here we go!_

* * *

El Ives was just an ordinary girl at Hawkins High School. She was a shy person who didn't have a lot of friends either. But once you got to know her, she was a really nice girl who would do anything for you. El had also gone through a lot in her past, but never liked to bring up her childhood. She seemed haunted by it, so no one ever brought it up to her.

One day, El was walking to her locker to get ready for her next class. She grabbed her cell phone because it was a video making class and she needed her phone to help her film. It was for a contest and the teacher was going to explain it today. El was excited, but also nervous because the teacher would be assigning partners for the project and she was nervous about who her partner would be.

El walked into the classroom and saw her teacher, Mr. Forester, typing some instructions on his computer to show on the SmartBoard. She saw her best friend, Max waving at her and El sat down next to her.

"Hey, El! What's up with you today?" Max asked her.

"Just the same as usual," El answered with a shrug. "I just wish that Mr. Forester would let us choose our partners. I don't want to be paired up with someone other than you. You know what happens when I get paired up with someone who I'm not used to."

That was another thing about El. If she ever met someone new, she couldn't speak to them due to her shyness. It was only when she got to know them and hang out with them more when she would be able to speak to them. Max was the only exception, however, because she saved El from being bullied by Troy and James. El was able to speak then.

Max nodded at her best friend. "I know. I just hope I'm not paired up with a jerk. But I'm sure you'll be fine. I know it. If we aren't together, at least you'll most likely be with someone good," she reassured. El smiled at her and then saw that the teacher was calling for everyone's attention and listened to him.

"As you all know, we'll be starting our video contest today. It doesn't matter if you win or not. All that matters is that you don't fail the assignment. It has to show anything happening in the world right now. The topic is whatever you choose as long as it's appropriate. And I'll be choosing partners. The key here is getting along with someone who you don't know. That way, you can create something interesting," Mr. Forester explained. Then he pulled up a different document on the computer, without showing it on the SmartBoard. "Max Mitchell, you are assigned with Lucas Sinclair."

Max's eyes widened and she looked over at Lucas, who sat a few seats away from her. Then she looked back at El with a worried expression, who shot an even more worried expression. Then Max got up and went over to Lucas' desk, leaving El scared about her partner. When she finally heard her name be said, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"El Ives, you are assigned with Michael Wheeler."

El shot the teacher a confused look and then looked around the room. She saw a boy with mopey black hair with brown eyes and some parts of his face covered with freckles. He was looking right at her too so she guessed that he was this Michael Wheeler. She stood up from her seat and slowly walked over to his desk. He shot her a smile and El just looked down at the floor. Then she pulled up a chair and sat down by his desk.

"Hi there. Uh, you probably already know my name because of Mr. Forester assigning us together, but you can call me Mike for short. El, right?" Mike said. El nodded in response, wanting to say something to him, but shyness was taking over her now. She wanted it to stop. Luckily, Mike continued to talk to her. "So, uh, I have an idea for the video. It's of the water wells in South Sudan. We could try to advertise that."

El shook her head, thinking about a different project that she and Max did last year with the same topic. Everyone had to do South Sudan water wells to raise a fundraiser. She had a better idea that was never said much in the school, but she couldn't say anything.

"You don't want to? Do you have any other ideas then?" Mike asked. El struggled to try and say what she wanted to do. What was wrong with her?! Unfortunately, Mike seemed to notice her struggle to say things and she turned a deep red. He gave her a small smile and laid his hand on hers. "Don't be nervous. I'm not going to bite. I get it, you're shy. But it's okay. I hope we can be good friends too. You seem like a really nice person. So, what's your idea?"

El smiled at her partner and then was finally able to speak to him. "We can spread bullying awareness. The school doesn't do enough of it so I think we should do that idea for the video. And not just regular bullying too. Cyber bullying too on social media and anywhere else. Sexting, rude texts, posting something embarrassing about someone else. Even sexual harassment," she suggested.

Mike nodded and gave her a wide grin. "I like that! Let's do it," he agreed. Then he looked right into her eyes and smiled. "I think you're cool. You want to hang out with me and my other friends at lunch? We can discuss more of the project and you can get to know my other friends," he asked.

El nodded at him in agreement. "Can my friend come too?" She asked. Mike nosddd and she smiled. Then they continued to discuss the video project and how they were going to film it until the bell rang. They said goodbye to each other and they went off to their next class.

El didn't know why, but she felt comfortable around Mike. She didn't know why, but she felt that she could trust him with anything, even her past.

* * *

 _A/N: How was that?_

 _What do you think of the story so far? It's going to show some stuff that may not be okay. Not too bad to make it M, just a strong T. Mileven, of course because everything has to have Mileven. But don't worry, I think you guys will love this story because it's gonna be AWESOME!_

 _Also, I never mentioned that I made a fan account on Instagram, have I? I just made it the other day and I do all kinds of Stranger Things stuff. I've even been doing stuff that has to do with standing up for Millie. It's called Finn Mileven Love and I hope that whoever has an Instagram will follow! I'd really appreciate that! It'd be super cool for you to do! Also, I hope you don't mind me flirting all over Finn. You know I can't help it!_

 _I hope you enjoyed! Please review!_


	2. Chapter 2: Cafeteria Incident

_A/N: I'm back!_

 _Glad you guys liked the first chapter! This is going to be a really intense story, like I've said before. If you guys saw my Instagram, Finn Mileven Love, I think you might have an idea of things that could happen in this story. There are a few flashback stuff coming up in a few chapters to explain El's past. And to answer a question from AnnaBrownWolfhard011, El never knew Mike until now. More of her past will be explained so you get this._

 _But I'm sure you'll love this story! It's my first time writing this sort of thing so I hope that it's good for you guys. So sit back and enjoy because this one will be a long ride. But you will enjoy it! I DARE YOU! (Millie's new music video she stars in! Check it out! She's amazing!)_

 _Here we go!_

* * *

It was now lunchtime at school. El was on the lunch line to get some food, hoping that it would be good food instead of gross food that no one liked. But for El, it was the same thing everyday, she always got the salad and some kind of sandwich. She couldn't bear to eat any grody food they served.

El got a new kind of sandwich they were serving that day. It was a salami, cheese, and tomato sandwich. She decided to try it because that was normally the only good thing they served. After she got her sandwich, she walked into the cafeteria to look for Max so they could sit with Mike. She saw her sitting alone at their normal table and she looked annoyed. El walked over to her best friend, but didn't sit down at the table like she normally would.

"Max, what's up?" She asked her friend.

Max just shrugged and put her elbows on the table. "The whole video project thing. I never asked to be with Lucas Sinclair. I don't want to be paired up with him. But at least we only work on the project at school in that one class. I don't want to see him for the rest of the day," she complained. That was when she noticed that El was still standing. "Why aren't you sitting down? What's up?"

El stuttered a little to find her words to her. She just hoped that she would agree to the arrangement of them sitting at a different table. "Well, um, I sort of can't sit here. I promised my partner that I'd sit with him and meet his friends," she told Max.

Max's eyes widened at her. "What do you mean? Do I have to sit by myself? You're ditching me?" She exclaimed.

"No! I asked him if you could also sit with them and he said you could. Come on," El gestured. Max stood up from her seat and grabbed her lunch as El looked around the cafeteria to find where Mike was. Then she saw him talking to three other boys at a table in the back. She walked over to them with Max following her. Mike noticed the two girls and waved them over. El smiled when she saw him notice her and pulled up a chair to the table.

"Hey El! These are my friends, Will, Dustin, and Lucas. Guys, this is El. She's my partner for the video project," Mike introduced. El smiled at all of them while the other boys waved at her, curiously.

"Hi. I'm El and this is my friend, Max. It's nice to meet you guys," El said, quietly. She was surprised that she was actually talking to them instead of not talking due to her shyness. She noticed Max's eyes widen when she walked closer to the table. Lucas was her partner and he was Mike's friend. El gave her best friend a confident smile and she pulled up a chair next to Mike. Max reluctantly pulled up a chair and sat next to Dustin.

"So, uh, El, where do you come from? I don't really recognize you," Will asked.

"It's my first year here in Hawkins. I used to live in Clarksville but now I live here with my mom and aunt. They decided that it was time when my life needed a change. For the better. Clarksville never felt like home to me," El explained. "On my first day, I didn't feel at home yet when a mouth breather named Troy started bullying me for looking like a freak due to my pixie cut hair. Max quickly came to my rescue and we became fast friends."

Mike's eyes widened at the story. "That's why you wanted to do bullying for the video project? Because of Troy? We get bullied by him too," he said.

Dustin nodded. "Yeah he does. He does it because we are nerds. He calls me Toothless due to my clydocranial dysphasia. He calls Mike 'Frogface', Lucas 'Midnight', and Will a queer. We all hate him," he said.

"Oh, and speak of the devil," Lucas said, seeing Troy and his friend James come over to the table. They all glared at him, wanting him to go away and leave them alone for once.

"Hey look! The freak made friends with the freak show! Pretty fitting for a girl like her!" Troy said, smirking at them.

El glared at Troy and stood up from her seat. She only wanted that one encounter on her first day, not another one today. "Go away, mouthbreather," she said. "We aren't freaks," she added, not knowing what else to say. Her shyness was taking over for some reason she didn't understand.

Troy and James looked at each other with fake surprise. Everyone just continued to glare at them, waiting for them to leave. "Looks like the freak thinks that she can speak now! She finally moved up from preschool to kindergarten! That's a long step for a freak like you!"

"I said GO AWAY!" El screamed.

Suddenly, Troy flew backwards into another table. He crashed into the table, causing the food to splatter all over him. Everyone stared at the scene in shock, not knowing what had just happened. They all looked over at El, who started to turn red from all the attention she was getting. Then she felt something going down her nose. She gently touched the spot where the liquid was coming from and saw that she was bleeding from her nose. She gasped in shock and looked over at Troy for a minute and then back at her table, who were also staring in shock.

The lunch teacher, Mrs. Watson, came over with a nasty look on her face. "What happened here?! Someone please explain to me right now!" She yelled.

Before El could say anything, Troy immediately took action. "I just came over to have a simple conversation with her, but then she pushed me back with some sort of force. I didn't do anything for her to harass me like that!" He claimed.

El's eyes widened as Mrs. Watson looked over at her. "Is this true? Did you do that to this boy?" She asked with a tone of anger in her voice.

El struggled to find an answer to her question. She didn't know what to say, anything she could say would get her in trouble because she still harmed Troy. As she was about to take the blame, Mike quickly stood up and came to her aid.

"She didn't do anything wrong! Troy came over and started to bully us for no reason. He called El a freak and us a freak show. She told him to go away, twice, but somehow he got pushed back into the table. El was the victim in this. Troy is lying like he normally does to get out of trouble that he always causes," Mike explained.

Mrs. Watson eyed Mike and then looked at El and back at Troy. El held her breath, hoping that what Mike said would work. She didn't want the bully to win like they normally did back at Clarksville. Troy glared at them and Mike and El glared back, then they looked back up at the teacher. She took a deep breath and looked at Troy with a death glare.

"Come with me, Mr. Harrington. You have detention for two weeks," she said, roughly grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the cafeteria. Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin and Max smirked at the shocked looking Troy, happy that he lost this battle.

El had tears streaming down her face and she ran off to the bathroom to hide. Everyone watched her leave with confused expressions. Mike also had a confused look and he ran after her to see what was wrong. He was puzzled on why she ran off crying instead of being happy about Troy getting in trouble. He quietly went in the bathroom and saw El with her face leaning against the wall, sobbing. Mike slowly walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, El? What happened back there?" He asked.

El looked up at him and quickly wiped away some tears. "I-I don't know. Something's wrong with me. Everything is wrong with me!" She sobbed.

Mike gave her another confused look. "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong with you. But seriously, do you know what happened back there?" He asked.

"I-I can't t-tell you. You would h-hate me," El said. Then she bolted out of the bathroom, leaving Mike wondering what she was talking about. Something was up with her and he wanted to help. She seemed like someone who had a troubled life, which was why she said that Clarksville was never a home for her.

Mike ran out of the bathroom, hoping to find El and get some answers.

* * *

 _A/N: Woah, what happened here?_

 _So, El still has some sort of powers. Will be explained. Clarksville was never a home to her. Will be explained. Basically, everything about El will be explained! What else? It's going to be really rough when she explains it._

 _But isn't Mike the greatest? He had just met her that day, but is there to comfort her and to stand up for El. Seriously, we all need a Mike Wheeler and a Finn Wolfhard in our lives. They are the sweetest and the greatest! FINN COME TO MY HOUSE AND MARRY ME! Okay, that's weird with the marrying part. JUST COME TO MY HOUSE FINN!_

 _I hope you enjoyed! Please review!_


	3. Chapter 3: Backstory

_A/N: OMG GUYS IM SO FUCKING SORRY!_

 _I suck so much by having you guys wait for updates. I really do suck. It's just that summer has been, surprisingly, busy for me and I never found time. I had sailing camp, I was in Ireland, crazy shit comes around. Basically, I just suck at finding time to do things! But I'm back and ready for action!_

 _So last chapter, El got into a squabble at lunch with Troy and she used a sort of power. When Mike tried to comfort her, she ran away from him saying that he would hate her if she told him everything. What is going to happen? Will El explain herself?! AHHHHHHHHHH SUSPENSE!_

 _Here we go!_

* * *

El ran as fast as she could out of the school and into the woods. She ran out of breath and stopped by a tree where she cried her eyes out. She knew what she did back at the cafeteria. But she also knew that if she told anybody, they would despise her for life. She didn't want to lose her friends. They were her first ever friends.

She remembered Clarksville, which felt like a distant memory in her mind. El had no friends and no one she could look up to. It wasn't until she met her mom and aunt when things started to change for her. She thought that her life would be normal and not awful like in Clarksville.

But El was wrong. It had all resurfaced in the cafeteria and everyone saw. She hated herself now more than ever.

Suddenly, the girl heard footsteps coming her way. El jumped at the sound, but she couldn't move. She was scared of who it could be and what they were going to do once they saw her. But then she saw Mike walking towards her and she sighed in relief, but also tensed up. She knew exactly what he was going to ask her and she also knew that she would have to tell him. Mike would hate her, but El had to be honest.

"El, what are you doing here? Why did you run away from me earlier?" Mike asked her.

El took a deep breath and wiped away a few tears. She watched as Mike sat down next to her before speaking up. "When I was little, I lived in Clarksville like I said earlier. But it was just pain and torture. I was bullied a lot from everyone in my school because of how weird I was. But that wasn't my fault. It was my papa's fault. I lived with him for most of my life. He only let me go to school and back, but being home with him was awful. He kept me in my basement for hours whenever I misbehaved. But when he found out my secret, things got worse," she said.

Mike put a hand on her shoulder when she started to have tears fall. "What happened? What did he do?" He asked her calmly.

El looked right into his brown eyes. "I have powers. Telekinetic powers. I hid it for a few years but then he found out when I was eight years old. Things got worse. My papa dropped me out of school and he just used me for my powers. He tried to shave my head as well, but I resisted so he let that go. He just used me. He wouldn't let me leave the basement and I barely had anything to eat. But that all ended when I was able to use my powers against him. I... I snapped his neck. Then I ran out of the basement and out of my house, not knowing where I could go."

She looked down and started to cry openly. Instead of him leaving her in disgust, Mike stroked her back in comfort. El wasn't expecting it at all. She was expecting him to hate her and him to not want to talk to her again. She appreciated the comfort and she continued the story. "I ran really far away from the house and into the woods. But then I saw a house that I felt some sort of connection too. When I knocked on the door, a woman named Becky answered, who I later learned was my aunt. She let me in and I met her sister, who knew who I was. I was her daughter. I felt a little worried about them, but they treated me nicely once they knew who I was. When I told them my backstory, they were shocked. So then before school started this year, we moved over to Hawkins just in case anyone wanted me. I've hidden my powers after I killed my papa too but they resurfaced today. That's how Troy got pushed into a different table. I'm a monster," she finished.

Mike leaned forward and hugged her tightly. "I am so sorry you had to face that in Clarksville. You don't deserve that. I only know you a little bit, but I feel really bad. You are a sweet and kind person. Only that guy you call your papa is too evil to understand," he said.

El smiled at him and hugged back. When they let go of each other, she lifted up her sleeve, showing a 011 tattoo on her arm. "He gave it to me when I became his experiment. He liked to call me Eleven instead of El. I knew that I wasn't a number then or now," she explained.

Mike's eyes widened at the tattoo, as if he recognized it or something. El gave him a confused look as he stared at it. She wondered why he had a shocked look on his face, but she guessed it was because she was a teenager who had a tattoo. But what she didn't know was what Mike was going to say next.

"I've seen that kind of tattoo before," Mike said, barely a whisper. But El still heard it. She raised an eyebrow at him, growing more confused.

"What do you mean? I'm not the only one with powers who has been abused like me?" El asked. Mike shook his head at her, which made her more confused than she had ever been before.

"I don't know the person. I am the person," he said, pulling up his sleeve. El's jaw dropped as she read what was said on Mike's arm.

009

* * *

 _A/N: WHAT THE FUCK?!_

 _Did you read that right? Did you? I bet you didn't so I'm going to repeat it! MIKE HAS A TATTOO LIKE EL'S! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?! AHAHYDHIDSRYJNSRUOP! I'm kidding. I know what it means, but you don't! Because I'm writing it and you are the readers!_

 _I'll do my best to update as soon as I can! I won't make you guys wait longer than you needed to._

 _I hope you enjoyed! Please review!_


	4. Chapter 4: More Backstory

_A/N: Hiya!_

 _So, you guys seemed pretty surprised reading the last chapter! Trust me, when the idea popped in my head, I was shocked as well. I just think it's a cool idea for Mike to also be an experiment and have powers! It's cool, right?! RIGHT?!_

 _This chapter, we might learn about Mike and his past. Key word: might. Haha! You know that I'm one of those people who likes to tease people about things in stories. I'm weird, I know!_

 _Here we go!_

* * *

El couldn't stop staring at Mike's wrist where his own tattoo lay. She was always curious on why she was number eleven and not one. Now she knew why. There were more subjects before her and somehow her papa was involved in it. She finally tore her eyes away from the tattoo and looked up at Mike with wide eyes. He gave her a small smile as he covered up his wrist.

"Guess we aren't that different, huh?" Mike commented. El chuckled at him and then decided to finally speak up.

"You have powers like mine? Or do you have some other powers?" She asked him, curiously.

Mike nodded at her. "I have telekinesis like you. No other powers. Unfortunately, that was discovered when I was born by bad people," he said, looking down at the ground. El rubbed his back to comfort him. Mike looked up and smiled at her before continuing his story. "They took me away from my family and took me to the lab here in town. I was raised there for thirteen years. They gave me the tattoo, naming me Nine. They shaved my head and performed horrifying experiments on me, making me weak and if I disobeyed, I got locked away in a small, dark room. Similar to your basement, but it was much smaller. I was also barely fed too," he explained. El gave him a look of sympathy, feeling bad that he had to endure similar things to her.

"How did you escape? Or did they let you go?" She asked him.

"I escaped. One day, I was being removed from the bath, otherwise known as sensory deprivation, and it was a frightening experience. So I killed the people who were letting me out and I killed whoever tried to stop me. Then I escaped through some pipes and made it into the woods. I had no idea for how long I was in the woods until I was found. It was a man and a woman, who I later learned to be my real parents. They took me in, fed me more food, and they taught me everything I needed to know, including more words. I even learned that I had an older sister and a younger sister. Then they enrolled me into school and I haven't seen the bad men ever again," Mike said, finishing his story.

El smiled at him and hugged him. Now she wished that she was the only one who had to face what she had faced before. She felt really bad that Mike had to endure similar torture. To her, Mike was the sweetest, kindest, and most understanding person she had ever met. She could trust him with anything now that she knew that they weren't so different from each other.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that. You are so sweet and nice. What did you do to deserve that?" El said.

Mike smiled at her. "I can ask you the same thing," he said. "Lets go back to the school, shall we? And after school, you can come over to my house so we can work on the project?" He suggested.

El nodded at him. "Okay. I'd like that," she said. Mike offered her his hand and she took it as they walked back to the school together.

...

After school, El was waiting for Mike outside of the building by the bike racks. She was going over to his house to work on the project and she was really excited. It felt like a long while before Mike finally came outside and over to her. She smiled at him as they went on their bikes and went to Mike's house.

He unlocked the door and they both stepped inside. El took a quick look around before Mike spoke up. "Mom! I'm home!" He said. "I'm going to be upstairs working on a project with my partner!"

"Okay sweetie! Let me know if your partner is going to stay for dinner!" Mrs. Wheeler shouted back.

The two then went upstairs to Mike's room. El looked around in his room and was amazed. There was all sorts of action figures in it and posters for all kinds of movies. Mike chuckled as he closed the door in his room.

"I love your room. It's so cool," El complemented.

Mike gave her a smile. "Thanks. I may be a former experiment, but I am also a nerd too," he said. "So are my friends, but we enjoy it."

"I think it's cool. And I love Star Wars," El said, holding up a Yoda action figure she found. Then she did her best Yoda impression by saying, "Mine! Or I will help you not!"

Mike laughed and then did his Yoda impression, "Ready are you? What knows you of ready?" They both laughed and El put the Yoda figure down. "I love Star Wars too. It's my favorite movie saga ever. And those new movies they have out? The Force Awakens and Rogue One are amazing!" Mike said.

El smiled as she thought about those movies. "I know! I love them so much! I love every movie I've seen to be honest. Even the horror movies that scare me," she said. "So, shall we get to work?"

Mike nodded. "Lets get to work. My phone or yours?" He asked. El shrugged, not really caring which so they used Mike's. The girl then brought out an entire script out of her backpack for the video and they went through it to make sure it was good. Then they started the filming process.

"Lets do this!"

* * *

 _A/N: I know, I know! Short chapter! At least I gave you something!_

 _So, yeah, school started for me now, great! But you know? Maybe it's actually a good thing because I write when I'm bored and I was never bored during a summer. So in this point of view, it's a good thing I guess? But school still sucks ass._

 _I hope you enjoyed! Please review!_


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